Flushing Meadows Corona Park

COMING TOGETHER IN THE PARKS

Photograph by Spencer T Tucker

On Wednesday at parks around the city, the one
year anniversary of September 11 was marked by moving musical
performances and silent prayer. Candlelight vigils were held at
the Bandshell in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, on the Parade Grounds
in the Bronx's Van Cortlandt Park, on the Great Lawn in Central
Park, on the Unisphere Promenade in Queens' Flushing Meadows-Corona
Park, and at Snug Harbor Cultural Center's South Meadow in Staten
Island. Large screens connected the different boroughs and allowed
park visitors at all of them to watch together as Mayor Bloomberg
joined over 90 international heads of state in lighting the Eternal
Flame at the Historic Battery. Despite strong gusts of the wind,
people came to the parks by the thousands to listen to the musical
performances and light candles of remembrance.

Every borough commemorated the day with varied musical performances,
such as songs performed in the Bronx by the Highbridge Voices
and Adlai Stevenson H.S. Gospel Choir; a rendition in Brooklyn
of "Climb Every Mountain" by NYC Opera alumna Christine Goerke;
a Wynton Marasalis-Billy Joel duet in Central Park; a performance
in Queens of "Wonderful World" by Arvell Shaw and the Louis Armstrong
Legacy Band; and tunes in Staten Island by the Curtis Guitar Ensemble.
At each park and during every performance, the wind seemed to
carry the harmonious voices, melodies, and prayers high above
the park and into the clear night's sky.

PEP Officer Richard Betancourt

Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) Officer Richard Betancourt has
been with Parks since June 2001. Before joining the Parks family,
Office Betancourt worked for the INS as a detention officer. His
duties there included transporting known criminals from state
to state and even out of the country.

"He's a very reliable and outstanding officer," said PEP Sargent
Collazo.

When not at Parks, Office Betancourt is working towards a Bachelor's
degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Police Science.
With the little downtime left in his schedule, Officer Betancourt
likes to relax with his wife Natalie and play with their two children
Krystal & Kayla.

Officer Betancourt is assigned to Riverside Park South, and was
on foot patrol at the 68th Street Pier when two Park Rangers walking
the promenade flagged him down. The Rangers witnessed a man jump
off of the pier into the Hudson. As Officer Betancourt arrived
on the scene, the unidentified male was attempting to tread water.

Following procedure, Officer Betancourt called Sergeant's Bayron
and Collazo, and he gave them the precise location in the park.
He then ran back to his vehicle, retrieved a rescue blanket and
a ring buoy, and returned to scene. Upon his return, the male
had already become submerged, and only his arms were above the
water. Officer Betancourt acted quickly and precisely. Within
seconds he had tossed the first ring buoy which landed right around
the arms of the man.

Promptly, Sgt. Bayron and Sgt. Collazo arrived on the scene. They
threw a second ring buoy with 25 feet of rope, and the man was
instructed to grab this buoy. With the man safely in the roped
buoy, the three officers lifted him out of the Hudson's treacherous
current.

The Daily Plant staff would like to congratulate Officer Betancourt.
His quick and intelligent actions saved a man's life this past
week, and that is something he should take pride in for the rest
of his days.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT(Monday, September 25, 1989)CAPITAL PROJECTS HAS BANNER YEAR

Between July 1, 1988 and June 30 of this year, Capital Projects committed a total of $148.2 million for major capital and design projects, exceeding the target of $132.8 million by $15.4 million. The commitment represents the total value of design and construction contracts registered during the year.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
''After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.''Aldous Huxley
(1894 - 1963)

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Know Before You Go

Flushing Meadows Corona Park Pool & Rink

On Wednesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 2, Open Swim is closed for maintenance. Normal scheduling will resume Friday, April 3. On Sunday, April 5, the pool is operating on reduced, holiday hours. It will be open from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.Anticipated Completion: 04/05/2015